Low-speed gets the go-ahead

Map of roads on which low-speed vehicles are permittedphoto courtesy Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Starting on January 1, low-speed vehicles will legally be allowed to drive on any Illinois road with a speed limit of 30 MPH or less. Prior to Public Act 96-0653, it was up to individual communities to decide if these specialized vehicles were allowed.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, â€œIn 1998 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established a limited set of safety standards for low-speed vehicles (LSVs) intended to apply to vehicles used â€˜to make short trips for shopping, social, and recreational purposes primarily within retirement or other planned communities with golf courses.â€™ To qualify as an LSV, a vehicle must have four wheels and a top speed of at least 20 MPH, but it cannot exceed 25 MPH.â€

Thatâ€™s good news for GEM owners, but to us, it raises another interesting possibility, that of the return of the homebuilt, cyclecar-style vehicle. NHTSA, in fact, doesnâ€™t have oversight over LSV operation â€” thatâ€™s explicitly left up to individual states. Illinois provides a concise list of the safety equipment required in the text of the Act (â€œbrakes, a steering apparatus, tires, a rearview mirror, red reflectorized warning devices in the front and rear, a headlight that emits a white light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front, a taillamp that emits a red light visible from at least 100 feet from the rear, brake lights, and turn signalsâ€), and we see nothing you couldnâ€™t easily build in your garage. LSVs are exempt from most federal safety standards that apply to motor vehicles, and they are not required to meet any criteria for vehicle crashworthiness.

(This post originally appeared in the September 24, 2009, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)